Full-Time Faculty Position in World Literature

The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), an internationally renowned college of art and design, business and technology, of the State University of New York, invites nominations and applications for a full-time tenure-track faculty position in the English and Communication Studies Department, School of Liberal Arts.

The Fashion Institute of Technology, a part of the State University of New York, has been a leader in career education in art, design, business, and technology for nearly 70 years. With a curriculum that provides a singular blend of hands-on, practical experience, classroom study, and a firm grounding in the liberal arts, FIT offers a wide range of outstanding programs that are relevant to today's rapidly changing industries. Internationally renowned, FIT draws on its New York City location to provide a vibrant, creative community in which to learn. The college offers more than 45 majors and grants AAS, BFA, BS, MA, MFA, and MPS degrees, preparing students for professional success and leadership in the global marketplace.

With close ties to industry, FIT draws faculty from the city's art, business, and design elite, and from the rich academic community of the region. The College continually seeks creative faculty members who are passionate about their field and demonstrate exceptional professional capability in the core competencies of instruction design, learning enrichment, globalism, and use of technology, as well as mastery of established and emerging industry practices.

The School of Liberal Arts provides the foundation for an FIT degree, committed to providing a broad-based general education for FIT students, integrating traditional academic study with career preparation. Home to seven academic departments, 17 minors, and two interdisciplinary majors, our faculty prepare students to become reflective, critical, and engaged citizens of the world. Committed to scholarship, academic service and student-centered instruction, faculty members foster an understanding of diverse cultures and international perspectives as well as an appreciation for the richness and changing composition of American culture.

The English and Communication Studies Department prepares students to be reflective, creative, critical, and engaged citizens of the world through the study of literature, writing, and communication. Our wide-ranging curriculum provides students with the tools to navigate their environment, to stimulate the imagination, and to communicate across boundaries and borders as they begin to enter the marketplace.

Job Description:

Please note that the College reserves the right to select one or more candidates after having been duly reviewed and presented to the President in conformance with the provisions of Article 15 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

The English and Communication Studies Department seeks a specialist in world literature with a regional specialization including, but not limited to, African, Caribbean, Latin American, Middle Eastern, Oceanic, or South/South East Asian literary traditions. The successful candidate will be expected to contribute leadership and vision to the department's literature program, to provide intellectual and pedagogical innovation for world literature courses, to serve as a mentor to current and new literature faculty, and to develop interdisciplinary college-wide programming in global and area studies. The successful candidate will be expected to work closely with other Liberal Arts departments and have a commitment to working with culturally, linguistically, and academically diverse students in an institution with strong emphasis on globalism and experiential learning.

At hire, the successful candidate will be expected to teach existing courses in the English and Communication Studies Department, including introductory literature and composition, and to develop new curriculum in the candidate's area of specialization. Additionally, the candidate will engage in academic service and conduct research in their area of expertise.

Requirements:

Successful candidates will excel in the following areas:

Globalism

Possess expertise in helping students discover how specific works of literature can challenge or solidify accepted norms and uncover moments of cultural evolution and revolution.

Demonstrate ability to help students delve into human experience by examining key works of literature from diverse historical, aesthetic, and cultural perspectives while also encouraging them to challenge essentializing tendencies and debates that might circulate and solidify around the reception of these works.

Demonstrate ability to create a dynamic classroom where students can effectively communicate across cultural and linguistic boundaries and balance differing worldviews based upon a deep knowledge and awareness of other people, countries, cultures, and beliefs through the study of literature.

Strengthen curricular offerings in literature as well as introduce students to new canons from global literary traditions based upon the candidate's areas of expertise.

Instructional Design

Demonstrate ability to adapt course materials to adjust to new innovations within and outside of the discipline.

Demonstrate instructional variety and flexibility to accommodate students of different learning styles, abilities, demographics, or diversity.

Demonstrate experience in creating curriculum and classroom environments that will reinforce and further develop advanced skills in critical reading, thinking, presenting, and writing.

Learning Enrichment

Demonstrate innovative and creative pedagogical approaches into the classroom and exhibit a love of learning that is communicated effectively to students.

Possess a passion for expanding students' horizons, curiosities and imagination through literary exemplars and wide-ranging curricular innovations that fall outside the Western literary tradition.

Demonstrate experience in guiding students to hone lateral thinking skills and to engage in critical analysis as they dissect a work's themes, authorial and stylistic choices, historical context and cultural significance through careful literary analysis.

Demonstrate the vision to deliver and advance the mission of the English and Communication Studies Department and the School of Liberal Arts: to develop reflective, critical and engaged citizens of the world.

Professionalism

Maintain active participation in professional practices and scholarship, and a willingness to mentor faculty both within the School of Liberal Arts and across the College.

Demonstrate expertise in current critical, theoretical, and pedagogical trends and practices in the field.

Demonstrate ability to represent FIT with innovative scholarship presented at local, regional, national, and international professional organizations and through peer-reviewed publications.

Demonstrate ability to support FIT's goals and mission of promoting issues of sustainability, pluralism, and diversity through literary studies.

Technology

Demonstrate ability to utilize innovative instructional technology and to select the most appropriate technologies to enhance student-learning outcomes.

Possess expertise in utilizing social and emerging media to create engaging and evolving methods of instruction and student-centered interaction.

Candidates will have a PhD in English, Literature, or Comparative Literature with a regional specialization including, but not limited to African, Caribbean, Latin American, Middle Eastern, Oceanic, or South/South East Asian literary traditions by the date of appointment (August 20, 2018). Candidates should also exhibit a record of academic research and publication, professional activities, successful college-level teaching, and familiarity with both online and hybrid learning.

Applicants with research and teaching expertise in a broad range of non-Western literary traditions with a comparative, transnational, interdisciplinary, and/or Postcolonial studies approach, in addition to literary subfields that might include classics, critical theory, diasporic studies, ecocriticism, gender and sexuality studies, and theatre and performance studies. Experience with interdisciplinary and innovative approaches to teaching literature and the digital humanities is especially welcome.

Additional Information:

This is a full-time, tenure-track position beginning in Fall 2018. Review of applications will commence immediately and continue until the position is filled. Salary and appointment rank will be based on education level and cumulative experience.

Please note that a background check is required for appointment to this position.

Application Instructions:

Online applications are strongly encouraged. Please note applications without all application materials will not be considered.

For consideration, please provide:

Letter of interest clearly indicating your qualifications for the position;

Curriculum Vitae/Resume;

A minimum of three professional references, including names, titles, addresses, phone numbers, and e-mail contact information;

Evidence of teaching effectiveness;

Statement of teaching philosophy; and

Sample publication/writing sample.

Please note due that due to the volume of applications, we will not be able to contact each applicant individually. Additional information about the Fashion Institute of Technology can be found at www.fitnyc.edu.

FIT is firmly committed to creating an environment that will attract and retain people of diverse racial and cultural backgrounds. By providing a learning and working environment that encourages, utilizes, respects, and appreciates the full expression of every individual's ability, the FIT community fosters its mission and grows because of its rich, pluralistic experience. FIT is committed to prohibiting discrimination, whether based on race, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender identity, religion, ethnic background, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, military service status, genetic information, pregnancy, familial status, citizenship status (except as required to comply with law), or any other criterion prohibited by applicable federal, state, or local laws. FIT is committed to providing equal opportunity in employment, including the opportunity for upward mobility for all qualified individuals. Applications from minorities, women, veterans, and persons with disabilities are encouraged. Inquiries regarding FIT's non-discrimination policies may be directed to the Affirmative Action Officer/Title IX Coordinator, 212 217.3360, titleix@fitnyc.edu.